ILOILO – Following a significant increase in hand-foot-and-mouth disease (HFMD) cases, the Iloilo Provincial Health Office (IPHO) has given the public advice on how to avoid contracting it.
From Jan. 1 to Nov. 26, 2022, the province logged 466 cases of HFMD – an increase of 6,557 percent compared to 2021’s seven in the same period.
HFMD is characterized by sores in the mouth and a rash on the hands and feet. It is a contagious infection that occurs mostly in children and can be painful.
According to IPHO head, Dr. Ma. Socorro Colmenares-Quiñon, HFMD is transmitted from person to person through contact with an infected person’s fluids, such as saliva.
It could also be contracted through open wounds or blisters or after touching contaminated objects or the feces of an HFMD-infected person, she added.
Quiñon reminded the public to follow the following preventive measures:
* Regular proper hand washing using soap and water
* Practice good hygiene by regularly taking a bath
* When blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing, cover your nose and mouth
* Avoid sharing food, utensils, and other objects with someone who has HFMD
* Regularly clean and disinfect objects and surfaces often touched, like doorknobs, tables, and doors
* Wear a facemask for protection not just against HFMD but also against COVID-19 and other diseases
Quiñon also encouraged parents to closely watch their children now that face-to-face classes have resumed, especially when they eat after playing.
Here are the 10 towns with the highest cases of HFMD:
* San Dionisio (66)
* Cabatuan (34)
* Leon (26)
* San Rafael (23)
* Pavia (22)
* Concepcion (21)
* Lemery (21)
* Banate (19)
* New Lucena (19)
* San Joaquin (17)
The remaining towns, including Passi City, with HFMD cases are the following: Badiangan (17), Mina (16), Miag-ao (13), Calinog (13), Zarraga (13), Dueñas (12), Igbaras (12), Bingawan (11), Barotac Viejo (11), Passi City (10), Ajuy (10), Pototan (10), Tigbauan (eight), Dingle (seven), Anilao (six), Lambunao (six), Tubungan (five), Janiuay (five), Sara (three), Santa Barbara (three), Barotac Nuevo (two), Guimbal (two), Maasin (one), Dumangas (one), and Oton (one).
Only eight towns in the province have no HFMD cases. These are Alimodian, Balasan, Batad, Carles, Estancia, Leganes, San Enrique, and San Miguel.
HFMD may cause all of the following signs and symptoms or just some of them:
* fever
* sore throat
* feeling unwell
* painful, red, blister-like lesions on the tongue, gums, and inside of the cheeks
* a red rash, without itching but sometimes with blistering, on the palms, soles, and sometimes the buttocks
* irritability in infants and toddlers
* loss of appetite/PN
